Kenzo’s Keen Eye

In July, the Kenzo co-creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon released a surprising fall advertising campaign, in which Sean O’Pry and Rinko Kikuchi were pinned to a board—in eye-covered garments—like insects. And in fact, bizarre, and presumably preserved, beetles, butterflies, and other multi-legged creatures are lined up next to the models. These quirky images came out of a collaboration with Toilet Paper, a magazine helmed by the (“retired”) artist Maurizio Cattelan and the photographer PierPaolo Ferrari—who first met when they created controversial photographs of supermodel Linda Evangelista for W’s November 2009 Art Issue— with the art director Micol Talso.

Now, Kenzo and Toilet Paper have joined forces again; this time, on a collection of T-shirts ($145), sweatshirts ($295), and iPhone cases ($55). Emblazoned with American flags and the brand’s signature eye motif, the pieces were, we are told, inspired by ancient Asian temples from India, Nepal, and China. “We loved that this was something you could find across all of these different cultures, and resonated in so many different worlds,” Lim and Leon explained. Yes, even in the world of technology.